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Boltax
The Boltax (ボルタックス) is a Japanese camera taking 25×25mm pictures Recent sources often say 24×24mm, but the advertisements say 25×25mm, which was the official picture size of the Boltax: advertisements dated January 1939, August 1940 and January 1942 reproduced in , pp.89 and 92–3, and advertisement in Asahi Graph, September 4, 1940, reproduced at Gochamaze. on Bolta film, made from 1938 by Miyagawa Seisakusho, the maker of the 3×4 Picny, and distributed by Mitsukoshi and by Yamashita Yūjirō Shōten. Context The German company Bolta-Werk released the Boltavit camera in 1936, soon renamed Photavit, using paper-backed unperforated 35mm film wound on specific spools. Miyagawa released the Boltax around this film type two years later. This would be the origin of the success of Bolta film in Japan, which would last until well after the war. The name "Boltax" was obviously forged after "Bolta" and "Contax". Description The Boltax uses some of the solutions already adopted by Miyagawa on the Picny. The body is made out of a metal tube (like the body of the Leica screw models up to the IIIb). The dimensions are 7.8×4.3×2.3cm. Advertisement in Asahi Graph, October 5, 1938, reproduced at Gochamaze. The lens and shutter assembly is mounted on a collapsible helical, which is also used for focusing. The distance scale is engraved in metres down to 2/3m. On all the Boltax models, the lens is a Picner Anastigmat 40mm f/4.5 with no serial number, the shutter speeds are B, 25, 50, 100, the shutter is wound by a lever on one side and tripped by another lever on the opposite side. The Picner lens has three elemnts and was made by Fujita. , lens item I5. The shutter was called "Picny" and made by Miyagawa itself. , shutter item 12-V-3. The torpedo-shaped optical finder is offset to the right, as seen by the photographer. The film is advanced by a knob at the top left, surrounded by a manual frame counter: the user has to stop winding when the next frame number is facing an index. The top plate is removed for film loading, and is locked in place by a key offset to the left, with O'' and ''L indications (for Open and Locked). The back has a door hinged to the left, showing the exposure chamber and supporting the pressure plate. It makes film loading easier and allows to set the position of the first exposure, before setting the frame counter to 1''. The bottom plate is attached to the body by four screws, has a tripod thread and two film flanges; the serial number is engraved on the film flange of the supply side. The name ''Boltax is embossed in the leather on the front side and on the rear door. The Boltax I The original Boltax, called Boltax I in retrospect, has nickel-plated metal parts. The frame counter, aperture scale and shutter plate are black with silver markings. The speeds are selected by turning the shutter rim, and the scale is inscribed on the shutter plate in the order 100, 50, 25, B. There are silver stripes on both sides of the lens, and the name PICNY D at the bottom is certainly the shutter name. The serial number at the bottom is inscribed as NO.xxxx on the early cameras, and as N°xxxx on later ones. Observed body numbers range from 1983 to 5401. It is not known if the number sequence was shared with the Picny or not. The original Boltax was advertised in Japanese magazines from August 1938. , p.341. It appears as a new model in an advertisement dated October 1938 by the Mitsukoshi department store. Advertisement in Asahi Graph, October 5, 1938, reproduced at Gochamaze. The picture shows the camera sitting over a cigarette pack, emphasizing its small size. The camera is priced at and one roll of 12 exposures costs ¥0.85. Advertisements dated January 1939 give the same price for the camera and film roll, and list various accessories: ever-ready case (¥5), filter (¥1.60) and lens hood (¥0.70). Advertisement in January 1939, reproduced in , p.92, and advertisement in Asahi Graph, January 18, 1939, reproduced at Gochamaze. The advertisement in , placed by Yamashita Yūjirō Shōten, makes constant reference to the Leica, and says that Yoshikawa Hayao recommends the camera with those words: "when put side by side with a Leica, they look like father and child". It also says that the camera can take regular 35mm film. It is certainly possible to spool perforated 35mm film onto Bolta spools and to load the camera in a darkroom, but this is probably inconvenient, and the frame counter perhaps gives wrong indications because of the different thickness of the film without the paper backing. Advertisements dated November and December 1939 mention the same price of for the camera body, and give a more complete list of accessories: Advertisement in November 1939, reproduced in , p.92. Advertisement on p.26 of , December 15, 1939, reproduced on p.60 of Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku. * ever-ready case (¥5) * soft case (¥2.80) * lens hood (¥0.70) * reflex finder (¥3) * filter (¥1.60) * film processing tank (¥3) * contact printing frame (¥0.50) The reflex finder has a square shape, a square eyepiece and a fixed round baseplate. Round baseplate: picture of the November 1939 advertisement reproduced in , p.92. To attach the finder, it seems that the film flange at the right end of the top plate is removed and replaced by the round baseplate. An example of the Boltax I with the attached reflex finder is pictured here and here by Hiroyuki Hatano. The Boltax II The Boltax II was advertised in Japanese photographic magazines in August 1940 and was featured in the November 1940 issue of . , p.341. The August advertisement in Shashin Salon gives a list of the new features: Advertisement reproduced in , p.93. * all the knobs and scales are chrome finished with easier to read black numbers; * a click spring (音響バネ) is added inside the camera to control the advance with perforated film, producing a sound on each perforation and enabling the user to count the number of perforations; * a retractible "snap hood" is provided, which fits inside the ever-ready case; * an accessory shoe is added to attach an accessory reflex finder. The picture shows a camera with an attached lens hood. The shutter speeds are directly inscribed on the moving rim, in the order 100, 50, 25, B. The price of perhaps includes the "snap hood". The new type of reflex finder has a cylindrical shape and a round eyepiece. Example observed on a Boltax III in an online auction. It comes in a jewel case marked Boltax on the lid. Example pictured in "Boruta-han kamera no subete", p.91 of no.21. An advertisement dated September 1940 shows another picture of the camera with a lens hood and an accessory shoe, certainly corresponding to the Boltax II, but the camera name is given as "Boltax" with no model number. Advertisement in Asahi Graph, September 4, 1940, reproduced at Gochamaze. The only body number confirmed for the Boltax II is 8561, pictured in this page. The actual examples have the additional accessory shoe at the right end of the top plate, and have a nickel-plated frame counter, aperture and speed scale. The speeds are engraved at the top of the shutter rim, which also has the name BOLTAX II at the bottom, and there is no more mention of the "Picny D" shutter name. It is not known if the cameras actually have the internal click spring or not. Takesaki, p.95 of no.21, says that the distinguishing feature of the Boltax III is the addition of the click spring. This may imply that the Boltax II shown in the article does not have this feature, or this may be a mistake. The "snap hood" announced in the advertisements is a telescopic device, perhaps made of rubber, with a chrome metal rim and an attached yellow filter. Example pictured in this page at submin.com. At least one example of the Boltax II is known to have the speeds engraved in the order 100, 50, 25, B on the moving rim, as on the advertising picture cited above. Example pictured in this page at pbase. This is incompatible with the mechanism of the original Boltax, and indicates that the internals were altered. Other examples have the speeds engraved in the reverse order B, 25, 50, 100, Examples pictured in this page and in , item 4108. perhaps indicating that the internal modifications were cancelled (the same configuration continued on the Boltax III). The Boltax III The nickel-plated Boltax III shows no difference from the Boltax II, other than the name BOLTAX III engraved at the bottom of the speed rim. This is confirmed by Awano on p.23 of no.251. The reason for the name change is completely unknown. All the examples known so far have speeds in the order B, 25, 50, 100. The late examples of the Boltax III have chrome-plated metal parts, and transitional examples are known with chrome plating on the major parts and nickel plating on some smaller ones. The newer reflex finder has been observed so far with chrome plating only. One example of a tele conversion lens is pictured in this page of the AJCC, where it is described as a prototype which was not commercially released. The official list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941 has three models of the Boltax, all at ¥41: the "Boltax I", "Boltax III" and "Boltax F". , type 5, section 6B. No further detail is given, and the Boltax F is otherwise unknown. The Boltax III was advertised in Japanese magazines from December 1940. , p.341. The January 1941 advertisement in mentions the click spring for perforated 35mm film. Advertisement reproduced in , p.106. The October 1941 advertisement in Shashin Bunka gives the price of , and advertisements dated January 1942 in Hōdō Shashin and Shashin Bunka give the price of . Advertisements reproduced in , pp.89, 93 and 106. Another advertisement, dated about the same, adds a Bolta enlarger to the list of accessories. Advertisement reproduced in Nostalgic Camera by Toshio Inamura. The April 1943 government inquiry on Japanese camera production still has the Boltax, , item 182. and the last reported advertisement for the Boltax III is dated May 1943. , p.341. Serial numbers are known in the 10xxx, 11xxx, 13xxx, 15xxx and 16xxx range on nickel-plated Boltax III, and in the 18xxx and 20xxx range on chrome-plated cameras. One chrome-plated camera with serial number in the 19xxx range has a nickel-plated shutter casing with BOLTAX II engraving, certainly because the part was replaced and interchanged with another camera. Example with body no.19229, sold as lot no.465 of Westlicht auction no.16. Rangefinder conversions Various rangefinder conversions were offered by Japanese workshops. An advertisement in Shashin Bunka February 1943 presents a coupled-rangefinder conversion for the Boltax, taking 20 days and costing ¥40. The picture shows a converted Boltax, with a combined range and view-finder contained in a casing covering the top plate to the right of the advance knob. Advertisement reproduced in , p.110. The coupling mechanism and the film loading method are unknown. The top plate is perhaps removable, but no locking key is visible. There are screws on the bottom plate, which is certainly fixed. The advertisement shows the words Kōgaku Kikai Shūribu, meaning "Optical and Mechanical Repair Department", and an address in Tokyo, Itabashi. The exact address is Tōkyō-to Itabashi-ku Itabashi-chō 2–370 (東京都板橋区板橋町二丁目三七〇). It also mentions conversions for the Leotax and Canon. The Cyclon coupled rangefinder conversion, offered in 1943 and 1944 for the Gelto and other 3×4 and 4×4 cameras, was also available for the Boltax. Advertisements dated October 1943 and May 1944 reproduced in , pp.111–2. The conversion, done by Sugaya Kōki Seisakusho and distributed by Sankōsha and Matsuzaki Shashinki-ten, is described in detail in this section of the Gelto page. It was cheaper for the Boltax than for other models, costing ¥40 in October 1943 and ¥67.50 in May 1944. Auto-stop Boltax One example of the Boltax is pictured in as the "Boltax IV", and is also featured in an issue of . , item 4110, and Yazawa, pp.9–11 of no.249. The name "Boltax IV" was invented for 's book, and it is certainly wrong. Yazawa, p.9 of no.249, confirms that the name "Boltax IV" was invented. The camera has a fixed top plate and a removable bottom plate. The back door is hinged to the right, indicating that the main body was simply reversed. The bottom plate is similar to the top plate of the other Boltax, with the same type of locking key, and a tripod thread at the location of the tubular finder. It has no film flange and no serial number is visible. The top plate has an advance knob at the left end, placed above a small cylindrical stand. The advance knob has frame numbers engraved on its conical base. The rest of the top plate is covered by a metal housing, containing an optical finder offset to the right and an auto-stop advance mechanism. Auto-stop advance: Yazawa, p.9 of no.249. There is a small lever at the rear, certainly used to unlock the film advance after each exposure. The lens and shutter are the same as on the Boltax I, with the black shutter plate and PICNY D marking, but the aperture scale is silver with black engravings, as on the Boltax II and III. The leather covering has no Boltax embossing, and the back door is painted black with no covering at all. The camera is presented as a prototype by Miyagawa in the article by Yazawa in , but another plausible theory is that this is a Boltax I converted with auto-stop advance by an unknown workshop. Successors After the war, the Boltax was succeeded by the Dan 35, perhaps made by Yamato, and by the Silver. The company Miyagawa either survived the war or was reformed after some years, and made the Picny B and a Picny rangefinder model, evolutions of the Boltax. Notes Bibliography * Items 243–5. (See also the advertisements for items 220 and 341.) * Awano Mikio (粟野幹男). Answer to a letter by Morihara Hitoshi (森原仁). In no.251 (May 1998). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. P.23. * Item 182. * Type 5, section 6B. * P.55. * P.692. * Advertisements on pp.54 and 60, corresponding to pp.20 and 26 of the December 15, 1939 issue. * Items 4107–10. * Takesaki Harutoshi (竹崎春年). "Boruta-han kamera no subete katarogu" (ボルタ判カメラのすべてカタログ, All Bolta-size cameras catalogue). In Pp.95–105. * Yazawa Seiichirō (矢沢征一郎). "Renzu no hanashi (159) Shisaku Borutakkusu" (レンズの話159試作ボルタックス, Lens story 159 Boltax prototype). In no.249 (March 1998). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. Pp.9–11. Links General links In English: * Pages at submin.com: ** Boltax, Silver, Dan 35 and Minon 35 cameras ** Boltax I, actually showing a rangefinder Picny ** Boltax II, actually showing a Boltax I ** Boltax III, showing nickel and chrome examples * Boltax I at Jag Page * Boltax I and Boltax II pictures by Pacific Rim Camera at pbase.com * Boltax III at Antique Cameras D. Tristram Ludwig * Boltax III at the Western Photographic Historical Society * Past sales at Westlicht: ** Boltax III (chrome), lot no.440 of auction no.1 (November 15, 2002) ** Boltax III (chrome) with Boltax II shutter (surely not original), lot no.465 of auction no.16 (December 5, 2009) In German: * Boltax III, lot no.368 of Foto Hobby Rahn Photographica Auction no.5 (May 12, 2007). In Japanese: * Boltax I with reflex finder in this page and this page of Hiroyuki Hatano's Taki-meguri, with sample pictures * Boltax III at VIP Camera's blog * Boltax III in the Camera database of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology * Boltax III with tele conversion lens at the AJCC Original documents In Japanese: * Advertisements reproduced in the Japanese camera page and the small format camera page of the Gochamaze website: ** Advertisement for the Boltax and Picny, published in the 5 October 1938 and 18 January 1939 issues of Asahi Graph ** Advertisements for the Boltax, published in the 8 March 1939, 15 November 1939 and 4 September 1940 issues of Asahi Graph * Advertisement for the Boltax III published between 1942 and 1945, reproduced in Nostalgic Camera by Toshio Inamura Category: Japanese Bolta film Category: B